Concrete-mixer.



W. D., E. S. & J. G. GLOUGH. CONCRETE MIXER. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. e, 1908.

927, 1 1 Patented July 6, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A TTOHNE Y S W. D., E. S. 6L J. G. GLOUGH. GONGRETE MIXER. APPLIOATION FILED rms. s. 190s.

Patented July 6, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TTOHNEYS W. D., E. S. & J. G. CLUUGH'. GONGRETE MIXER. APPLIUATION Hmm PEB. e, laos.

927, 1 1 7. Patented July 6, 1909.

lil

A TTOHNE Y S UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

WARREN D. CLOUGH,IEVERETT S. CLOUGH, AND JOHN G. CLOUGH, OFv QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

CONCRETE-MIXER.

Specification of Letters ,Patent.

Patented July 6, 1909.

' To all whom 'it may concern:

,mixer especially adapted for continuously admixing concrete in successive charges of limited volume.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part`of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a substantially central vertical section through our machine complete, on

" showing more 'of gearithe pinioncontrolling. f

. ig. 5 is a ragthe line 1-1 of Fig. 2, this view showing the main shaft, the engine'and earingfor driving the main shaft, the roclgiing drum and the rocking receiving pan for temporarily holdin the materials and' delivering them in the o-rm of a charge or batch into the drum, this view further showing a 'part of the clutch mechanism employed for actuating the delivery pan; Fig. 2 is a'fragmentary cross section upon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale, looking in the direction of the arrow, and showing the delivery pan, the sector for tilting the same,4

the rocking drum, the rack for actuating this drum, and a hand lever used for oper-l ating the clutch for controlling the release of the drum; Fig.4 3 is a section'upon the 'line 3-8 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale, looking in the "direction of the arrow and tilting the regelving pan, the caring for actuating the sector and a han -controlled clutch for throwing the sector into and out of action at will, this view further showing the spring used for retracting the sector;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section upon the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction yof the arrow, and showing the clutch'mechanism for throwing into and out the rack for actuating the rocking drum; mentary .view` ofthe clutch releasing mechanism 'controllable by hand for throwing the inion driving `the sector; and Fig. 6 is a agmentaryplan showing a latch for temarticularlyu the. sector for porarily holding the drum in a predetermined position and controllable by hand for releasing said drum.

A frame 7 having the form of a vehicle body is mounted upon Wheels 8, 9. 10, in this instance a gasolene engine, is supported upon the frame and is provided with a ily-wheel 11. Bearings, one of which is shown at 12, support the engine shaft, and bearings 13, 14 support the main shaft 15 of the concrete mixer. A drum 16 is used for holding` the charge of concrete while the same is being mixed and for releasing I.the charge after thorough mixture. Mounted upon the drum is a lug 16, and disposed within the path of the ug is a stirrup 16b attached tol the frame, these parts being so arranged that the lug "16C maylodge against the under side of the stirrup 16b so' asto serve as a limiting stop for the movement of the drum 16 in one directioii-(see Fig. 3). This drum is provided with collars 17 and 1S encircling the main lshaft 15 and fitting loosely thereu on so as to allow the diuiii to turn indepen ently of the rotation of the shaft. J

A number of arms 19 are each provided with a'flat ortion 20 and are secured rigidly upon the sfiaft 15 by aid of bolts 20a. The various arms extending radially from this shaft are staggered relatively to each other, as will be understood from Fig. .1. Each arin 19 carries a mixing low 21 vsecured thereto by aid of bolts 22 which extend through slots v23. By moving the bolts 22 relatively to the slots 23, the mixin plows can be adjustedso as to compensate or WearA upon their edges.

A pinion 12*a mounted upon the engine shaft meshes with a gear 12b upon the mai-n shaft 15, for the purpose of turning the latter when the engine is in action.

Mounted upon the drum 16 is a rack 24 of arcuate form, and meshing with this rack isa pinion 25 for the purpose ef causing the drum to rock. The pinion 25 is mounted loosely n a shaft 26 supported in bearings 2.6,

u o 'lliis shaft turns continuously. A clutch 27 is used for throwing the pinion 25 into and out of action. 28 is connected with the c utch 27, in the usual manner of connecting levers with For this pur ose a hand lever.

los

clutches, and is mounted upon a swivel su port 29. The lever 28 is operated to shift.

the clutch 27 by a cam 16d on the drum 16.

`-A sprocket Wheel 30,15 keyed upon the main shaft 15 and a smaller sprocket wheel 31 is mounted rigidly upon the shaft 26. Connecting togetherl these sprocket wheels is a sprocket chain 32. A lug 33 is mounted upon the drum 16 and is rounded upon its outer surface, as will be understood from Fig. 2. A latch' 34 is disposed partially within the path of this lug and is ada ted to be tripped, as indicated by dotted ines in Fifr. 2, so as to snap over the lug 33 and thus ho d the drum 16 temporarily in a predetermined position. A handle 35 is provided for the latch and isA used in releasing the same from engagement with the lug 33. c A s ring 36 resses continuously u on the han e 35 an tends to maintain the atch 34 in its nor-.

mal position.

Bearings 37, 38 support a rocking shaft 39. Mounted rigidly upon this rocking shaft is a toothed sector 40 provided with a stidening rib 41. Arms 42 are mounted rigidly upon a Irocking shaft 39 and supported u on these arms is a receiving pan 43 provide( with cut away portions 44 for facilitating the removal from the receiving pan of materials used in mixing the concrete. The bottom of the receiving pan 43 is provided with slots 43aL and through these slots extend bolts 43b whereby the pan is adjustably held in position upon the arms 42. In order to adjust the receiving pan or mixing pan 43, the operator loosens the bolts 43h, pulls the pan out or f pushes it in a little, as the case may be, and

tightens the bolts. Shields 45 mounted upon cross beams 46 are adapted to be engaged by the arms 42 so as to support these arms when the receiving pan is in position for the materials to be thrown into it (see Fig. 2).

Mounted upon the opposite side of the machine is an angle ironv47 for strengthening the framework. The drum 16 is provided with cupped edges 48 and with a straight or lattencd flange 49 extending practically throughout the entire length of the drum and being flush with the cupped edges 48. This flange 4 9 serves the purpose of a spout for discharging vthe concrete.

Mounted rigidly upon the sector 40 is a cuneiform cam 5() which is adapted to engage a lug 51 mounted rigidly upon a hand lever 52, so that when the sector 40 reaches a predetermined positionv it shifts the lever 52.. This lever controls a clutch (see Fi 5) and serves to lock a pinion 54 relatively to the shaft 15, and to unlock the same in the manner well understood in clutch building.

The hand lever 52L is mounted u )on a pivot 55 and may be moved by hand lor the purpose of causing the clutch 53 to grip and thus throw into action the pinion 54. A powerful retractile spring 56 (see Fig. 3) is connected with the framework and with a chain 57. A chain 58 attached to a lug or projection 59 on the sector 40, connects the chain 57 and the spring with the sector 40. The purpose of ,proximately of a revolution so that t the spring 56 is to retract the sector 40 to its` normal position and the chain 57 is to hmit the retractile effect of this spring. The chain 58 is normally loose as shown in Fig. 3, but becomes tight soon after the sector' 40 begins to rotate in a clockwise direction, according to this figure, and as the chaln 58 tightens a tension is gradually thrown upon the spring 56.

The operation of our device is as follows: The motor 10 being in action, motion is transmitted through the pinion12a and gear 12b to the main shaft 15, and the arms 19 are caused to rotate. thus adapted to stir and thoroughly mix any ingredients which may be contained within the drum 16. Normally this drum occupies the position indicated in Fig. 1, the mixing pan 43 meantime occu ying the position indicated in Fig. 2. Tiie .materials to Abe mixed are thrown into the mixing pan 43 and f here they'may remain until any concrete within the drum 16 is discharged therefrom. The hand lever 28 is normally in such position that the pinion 25, controllable by the clutch 27, runs loose u on the shaft 26. When, however, the han lever 28 is moved to the right according to Fig. 1, the clutch 27 grips and the inion 25 becomes rigid upon the shaft 26; T iis shaft constantly rotating because of the continuous action of the sprocket chain 32, now causes the pinion 25 to turn the rack 24. `The drum turns alpie cam 16Cl (se Fig. 2) carried by the drum is brou ht aga st the lever 28. This unlocks the c utch and releases the pinion 25, as will be understood from Fig. 4. The-pinion 25 being now idle upon the shaft 26, the drum is, of course, released. The movement ust described, constituting approximately J4 of a turn, for the drum, is the movement neeessary to discharge the contents of the drum, and leaves the s out 49 in the positionvindicated by dette(v lines substantially at the bottom of Fig. 2. Consequently, the charge of concrete contained within the drum is easily ejected, the direction of rotation of the arms 19 carrying the mixing plows 21 being such as to facilitate the same. The rocking movement of the drum 16, as just described, turns the lug 33 into engagement with the latch 34 which clicks over it and holds the drum firmly in position, preventing its immediate retraction. The operator by pressing downwardly upon the handle 35 withdraws the latch 34 from the lug 33 and this allows the drum to resume its normal position which it easily does in consequence of its own weight. The lug 16c engages the inner side of the stirrup 16b and prevents the drum from swinging past its normal position (see Fig. 3). The operator next moves the hand lever 52 so as to cause the clutch 53 to grip. This locksthepinion 54 rigidly in relation to themain shaft 15. The pinion 54 now begins to turn and in so doing causes the sector 4() to rock to an extent representing about of a revolution. In doing this, theyreeeiving pan 43 is carried from its position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, to that.

shown by dotted lines in this figure and the raw materials Within the receiving pan 43 are caused to glide into the drum. The rocking movement of the secti'or40 stops when the cuneiform cam 50 (see Fig. 3) engages the hand lever 52 so as to disconnect the clutch 53. When this occurs, the pinion 25 being released now turns idly upon the shaft 26 and the arcuate sector 24 is no longer held by the pinion 25 and consequently the rack is retracted to its normal position, as above described. The receiving'pan 43 is adjustable relatively to the arms 42, the adjustment being accomplished by aid of the bolts 43b extending through the slots 43a. By adjusting the receiving pan 43 the size of the individual charges is varied slightly and the general action rendered more satisfactory.

Briefly stated, While the machine is in action the operator merelymoves one lever to tilt the drum and eject its contents and he 'moves another lever to tilt the receivin pan 43 and discharge its contents into the f rum. A third movement, to Wit, that of the handle 35, restores the drum to its normal position after its contents are ejected. rIhe action of the machine is continuous. While Workmen are filling the raw materials into the receiving pan, the previous charge is being worked up. The length of time required to fill the receiving pan has no definite relation to the time required formixing the materials in the drum. Neither has the time for either of the purposes just mentioned any definite relation to the time that the drum is held in fixed position during the act of discharging its contents. It will thus be noted that so far as practicable the loading of the material into the receiving pan, the Working of the materials in the drum and the ejection of the mixture from the drum, are entirely separate and independent acts controllable entirely at will. l

We have found that mixing plows of the shape shown are very eicient in the matter of making a thorough admixture within a short time, and with a minimum expendif ture of ower. We find that an apparatus of the kim above described, if made of suitable proportions to be carried around like an ordinary wagon of medium size, has a capacity -of from fifty to one hundred and fifty cubic yards per day.

The machine is to a great extent self-cleaning and ,is not 'liable to do any pounding. No scraping or flushin is required. The mixing plows keep themse ves and the drum as clean as possible and practically free from any contamination. The direction of rotation, as above explained, also assists the discharge from the drum and in so doing saves power and economizes time. The mountings for the various parts are so arranged that the mixer can be placed near the material to be `mixed, and the raw material can be loaded LA device of the character described,

comprising` a power driven shaft, a drum for receiving a charge of concrete or the like mounted to rock on said shaft, means mounted on the shaft within the drum for mixing the charge, means for operating the drum from the shaft, means ffor throwing the op erating means out of gear, a tilting receiving' pan for holding a charge .of the materials to be mixed, means for operating the pan from the said shaft, and means for throwing the pan operating means out of gear.

2. In a device of the character described, a revoluble shaft, a drum mounted on the Zshaft to rock, amixing device on the shaft 1n the drum, a counter-shaft, means for operating the counter-shaft from the first named shaft, means for rocking the drum from the counter-shaft, a clutch for throwing the drum operating means out of gear, a hand lever for operating the clutch in one direction and a cam on the drum for engaging the lever to operate it in the other direction. f

3. In a device of the character' described, a revoluble shaft, `a drum mounted to rock, a counter-shaft, `a receiving pan mounted on the counter-shaft, and adapted to discharge into the drum, gearing between the counter* shaft and the first named shaft for rocking said counter-shaft, a clutch for throwing the pan operating means outof gear, a lever for operating the clutch, and means carried by a revoluble shaft, a Apinion on the shaft, a

drum mounted to rock, a counter-shaft, a. sector on the counter-shaft and meshlng with pinion of the first named shaft, aereceiving pan carried bythe counter-shaft, and means for returning the sector to normal position.

5. In a device of the character described, a revoluble shaft, a pinion on the shaft, a

drum mounted to rock, a counter-shaft, a

receiving pan carried by the counter shaft, a sector on the counter-shaft and -meshing with fthe pinion of the first named shaft, a springl having one end secured to a fixed support, and a flexible connection between the other end of the spring and the sector.

6. In a device of the character described, a rocking drum, a revoluble shaft having a pinion, a counter-shaft, a receiving pancarried by the counter-shaft, a sector on the counter-shaft and meshing With the pinion of the first named shaft, means for returning the sector to normal position, a clutch for throwing the pinion in and out of mesh with the sector, a lever for operating the latch, and a cam on the sector for operating the lever.

7. The combination of a drum for mixing materials, a shaft for,actuating said drum, a sector disposed adjacent to said drum, a pinion meshing with said sector and mounted upon said shaft supporting said drum, a clutch for rendering said pinion idle or fixed relatively to said shaft, a receiving pan connected with said sector and adapted to be tilted thereby so as to discharge materials from said receiving pan into said drum, and mechanism controllable by movements of y said sector for disconnecting said clutch mechanism when said receiving pan reaches its limit of movement.

8. The combination of a rocking drum, means for mixing materials therein, mechanism for turning said drum for the purpose of ejecting said materials therefrom, a lug mounted upon said drum, a latch for engag ing said lug and holdin said drum temporarily in a predetermine position, and a handle for controlling said latch.

9. The combination of' a drum, mechanism mounted therein for mixing materials, a sector for actuating said drum, a spring connected with said sector for retracting the latter, means for turninT said drum, and mechanism controllable said sector for disconnecting said last-men- .40 by movements of tioned means When said drum reaches a predetermined point in its revolution.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WARREN D. CLOUGH. EVERETT S. CLOUGH. JOHN G. CLOUGH.

Witnesses to signatures of Warren D. Clough and Everett S. Clough: JOSEPH PIERcE, RAYMOND B. SIEPKER. Witnesses to signature of John G. Clough:

HAMEER TrrUs, l F. A. POGUE. 

